Dilli Haat goes
to London
The rich
art and cultural tradition of India at
Trafalgar Square
LONDON, JUNE 18, 2005
H S RAO
PTI
The famous Trafalgar Square in the heart of London
reverberated with the sounds of Garba and the vibrant
martial art dance from Manipur as the two-day Dilli
Haat celebrations showcasing the rich art and cultural
tradition of India began here today.
NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul, Britain's Ambassador
for Overseas Business, lit a lamp as Delhi Chief Minister
Sheila Dikshit inaugurated the show saying "This
is only the beginning. There will be many more such
events in future." "Dilli Haat in London
is a joint venture of the Government of Delhi and
the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, as part of an
ongoing cultural exchanges between the two cities,"
she said.
She said the exposition at London would be a step
towards creating global awareness about India's rich
craft tradition and Dilli Haat is a major testimony
to the fact that amidst the aggressive onslaught of
modernity, many traditional crafts have revived and
have evolved new parameters of aesthetic and commercial
value.
India's crafts encompass a rich heritage of skills,
motifs, designs, texture identities and expression.
It is by far the largest and most prolific living
cultural tradition in the world.
Ken Livingstone earlier said "This project has
been initiated personally by Sheila Dikshit under
the London-Delhi agreement and would help strengthen
close links between the two great cities.
More than 20 craft persons from various parts of
India demonstrated their skills at the Exposition.
They included Rathwa tribal painting from Gujarat,
Patachitra painting from Orissa, Wooden lathe work
from Gujarat, Madhubani painting from Bihar, Embroidery
from Karnataka, Walnut wood carving from Kashmir and
Thread jewellery making from Rajasthan. Shahnaz Husain,
the herbal cosmetics queen, showcased her internationally
acclaimed products.
Cultural performances during the exposition included
one of the rare Manipur Thanka - Martial Arts by Priti
Patel with her latest production 'Agni', Odissi Dance
performance by Madhavi Mudgal and music ensemble by
Indian Ocean group.
Present on the occasion were Tessa Jowell- British
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sports,
Kamalesh Sharma- High Commissioner of India in UK,
Arvinder Singh Lovely- Delhi's Minister for Tourism
and NRI Atma Singh- Advisor to Mayor, London and Lalit
Suri, MP.
The best of Indian cuisine was show cased by London's
well known restaurant Chor Bizarre through its Dilli
'O' Dilli Restaurant serving old-Delhi delicacies
including Chicken Biriyani, Kachori Subzi, Papri Chaat
and Bhel Puri.
